Many times I’ve written from the heart when reflecting of family and other individuals that have come into my life and fulfilled it with love and special meaning. Several poems that come to mind this morning were written for my dearest grandchildren. I wrote the following four poems – one to each of my granddaughters (and later to my only grandson) when they were toddlers. For some reason, I wrote in theme to our beautiful changing seasons, dreamy night skies and daylight surprise. I chose to write the words in a series of hardbound books written from Emma Quay & Anna Walker that stuck. The books were those that my oldest granddaughter took a liking to, as did my second eldest and it went on from there.
Three of the four are shown above. All (4) board books welcome the youngest readers into a group of three friends. There is Panda, Sheep and Owl, who are all different, enjoy different things, but manage to be the best of friends despite that. The series has warm illustrations that are done with a mix of paint and fabric. This lends a real richness and friendliness to them. The text of the books is brief, humorous and engaging. These are stories that are simple and great fun~
With there being four in the series, and 4 different seasons in which I had 4 special granddaughters born one after the other – it couldn’t have been planned more PERFECTLY! The following are poems I wrote to each and the book in which I wrote them in.
(Good Night, Sleep Tight is a bedtime story. The three friends decide to go camping in their sleeping bags. They all settle in, but both Owl and Sheep are uncomfortable. Only Panda is cozy, so the other two decide to join Panda in the one sleeping bag.)
Miley-Jordan was born in November and I chose Good Night Sleep Tight, because it was a favorite of hers and so it happened to be the one she had brought with her during a late night run to the store. Her mom went in to grab a few needed items and I stayed in the car with Miley-Moo while she slept. This is what I wrote:
“Starlight, starlight,
Twinkling in the sky.
Starlight, starlight,
Sparkling in the night.
Starlight, starlight,
Shining two by two.
Starlight, starlight,
A wish for me and you.” ❤
(Puddle Jumping is about bravery. Owl and Panda have great fun jumping over a big puddle the three friends discover. But Sheep is scared to try, scared she will fall on her bottom and get hurt. Eventually Sheep does try to jump the puddle, and she ends up having a lot of fun in an unexpected way.)
Next came Madilyn – she was born in May and what a healthy, chubby baby she was! I chose this particular book because it also happened to be in the car as I was watching Maddie and Miley during a rainy day while we waited for Mom to return from a quick shopping trip. This is what I wrote in the inside cover:
“Raindrops, raindrops,
Falling here and there.
Raindrops, raindrops,
Falling everywhere.
Raindrops, raindrops,
Falling from the sky.
Raindrops, raindrops,
Kiss the clouds goodbye.” ❤
(Yummy Ice Cream is about sharing. Sheep and Panda both have ice cream cones that are very yummy. But Owl doesn’t have any. The three friends find a very inventive way of making two ice cream cones into more.)
Then came ZoeyAnn – and what a surprise she was – full of spunk just like her daddy! I chose this book for Zoey because she was born during the hot month of August and ice-cream was among a favorite as was popsicles and cream bars!
“Ice cream, Ice cream,
Mounds, and mounds.
Ice cream, Ice cream,
Happiness abounds.
Ice cream, Ice cream,
Vanilla, chocolate, and berry.
Ice cream, Ice cream,
The more the MERRY!” ❤
(Let’s Play House has the friends building a playhouse together out of a blanket and some chairs. But the house doesn’t work out so well, especially after Panda stands up to leave, taking the roof with him. But all is not lost, as a new game is invented.)
Out came Alyson, and what a happy baby she was. Born in September, she would end up to be the last girl of three daughters – and what a bundle of joy! Her older sisters couldn’t wait to help their mom take care of little Aly…holding, bathing, dressing, and giving her lots of attention and TLC. Her smile contagious as was her bundle of giggless. These words written especially for Aly:
“Sunrays, sunrays,
Sprinkling all around.
Sunrays, sunrays,
Bouncing off the ground.
Sunrays, sunrays,
I feel your happy Smile.
Sunrays, sunrays,
Please stay with me awhile.” ❤
(Come and play with Panda, Sheep and Owl! In this delightful, gentle story, three friends share the simple adventures of playtime. Panda is bossy, Sheep is timid and Owl is shy, but their different personalities work perfectly together.)
This is the PERFECT book for our FIRST GRANDSON to be born! After having three girls in a row, Lucas was a HUGE SURPRISE! Born in March of last year – what a BIG and BOUNCY baby boy he’s turning out to be. Growing fast and not wasting any time reaching his milestones!
“Growing, growing,
From newborn to toddler.
Growing, growing,
Teeny-tiny to taller.
Growing, growing,
Helpless to stronger.
Growing, growing,
Getting longer and longer!” ❤
I’m in awe of ALL MY GRANDKIDS – what a special kind of love we’ve received~
XOXO…Love you ALL to the moon and back! ❤
1,000 Ways To Be A Warrior! 